AHMEDABAD, India, April 4, 2008 (AFP) - AB de Villiers hit an impressive century to put South Africa in a strong position in the second Test against India here on Friday.

The middle-order batsman was unbeaten on 102 with Jacques Kallis (97 not out) as South Africa reached 306-4 in their first innings at lunch in reply to India's 76. The visitors are now 230 runs ahead with six wickets in hand.

The pair put on a record 189 for the fifth wicket against India, surpassing the previous best of 164 between Kallis and Lance Klusener at Bangalore in 2000.

De Villiers, 24, reached his fifth Test hundred -- his first against India -- with an innovative shot in the last over before lunch when he scooped a Sourav Ganguly delivery to fine-leg for his eleventh four.

Kallis was three short of overtaking Australian legend Don Bradman's tally of 29 centuries. He has so far hit one six and 11 fours in his 223-ball knock.

India's hopes of restricting South Africa's lead rested on a couple of early wickets, but De Villiers and Kallis applied themselves remarkably well to deny the hosts in the two-hour morning session.

India took the second new ball in the 82nd over in a bid to snap the defiant partnership after spinners Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble had failed to provide the breakthrough.

Paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth tested Kallis with short-pitched deliveries on a few occasions and once struck him on the shoulder, but it was not good enough to the unsettle the batsman.

South Africa, who added 83 to their overnight total of 223-4, were strongly placed to bat India virtually out of the match as De Villiers and Kallis looked solid during their long stays at the wicket.

Kallis had a close shave on 61 when the ball rolled on to the stumps but did not dislodge the bails after he attempted to play a defensive shot off Harbhajan in the day's sixth over.

The first Test of the three-match series ended in a draw in Chennai. The final match begins in Kanpur on April 11.

Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers consolidated South Africa's position with half-centuries after Dale Steyn sparked a sensational Indian collapse in the second Test here on Thursday.

The 24-year-old Steyn gave a magnificent display of fast bowling on a lively track to finish with 5-23 as India crashed to 76 in their first innings in one of their worst batting performances in recent years.

Kallis (60 not out) and De Villiers (59 not out) put on 106 for the unfinished fifth-wicket stand to press home the advantage given by Steyn as South Africa reached 223-4 in reply at stumps, for a lead of 147 runs.

India made a horror start after winning the toss as their batsmen looked clueless against a quality pace attack led by Steyn, who bagged his eighth haul of five or more wickets in a Test innings.

Steyn was brilliantly supported by Makhaya Ntini (3-18) and Morne Morkel (2-20) as India were dismissed before lunch on the opening day for the first time in Test cricket. The innings lasted only 20 overs.

India's total was their lowest against South Africa and the second-lowest at home in Tests. It was also their second-shortest innings, after 17 overs against England at Lord's in 1974, when they were shot out for 42.

"The wicket helped us here a lot more than it did in Chennai (venue for the first Test). There was a little bit of movement here," said Steyn.

"It probably scared the Indians a bit once one or two wickets fell. It just looked like it sent a couple of shivers down the Indian batting line-up.

"It looked like the guy that came in next didn't know how to approach it. They were bowled out for 76 and I guess that's what happens when you don't have a gameplan or strategy."

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh briefly boosted India's hopes of restricting South Africa's lead with three wickets in four overs, but Kallis and De Villiers batted sensibly to deny the hosts further success.

South Africa gained the lead without losing a wicket as skipper Graeme Smith (34) and Neil McKenzie (42) put on 78 for the opening wicket.

Harbhajan removed first-Test century-makers McKenzie and Hashim Amla (16) before accounting for Ashwell Prince (two), but South Africa found the right pair in Kallis and De Villiers.

The Indian batsmen, who had posted 627 on a flat track in the drawn opening Test in Chennai, were exposed against pace on a pitch having both pace and movement in the morning session.

Irfan Pathan (21 not out) and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (14) were the only batsmen to reach double figures in a fragile batting performance. Extras were the second-highest contributors with 19.

India were in danger of falling to their lowest-ever total of 66 against South Africa (at Durban in 1996) when they were 56-8, but Pathan and Rudra Pratap Singh put on 20 for the ninth wicket.

Steyn took two big wickets when he dismissed hard-hitting Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid, India's key batsmen in the previous match.

"His (Sehwag's) wicket was pretty decent as was that of Dravid. They are two good batsmen and that's two wickets you want to get before the game," Steyn said, adding his best ball was the one that bowled Dravid.

"I haven't played too much in the subcontinent, especially in India, and I've never seen a pitch like this, with grass on it."

Sehwag, who hammered the fastest recorded triple-century in Chennai, made six this time before inside-edging a delivery on to his stumps.

Dravid, who scored a hundred to join the 10,000-run club in the last match, was also beaten by the movement after making three.

India's batting problems began in the fourth over when Ntini had Wasim Jaffer (nine) caught by Smith, who held a low catch to his left at first slip.

Ntini then bagged two wickets in his fourth over as Venkatsai Laxman was bowled shouldering arms and Sourav Ganguly played a delivery on to his stumps before Steyn and Morkel made short work of the Indian innings.

"It was one of the worst days I have seen in my 10 years of international cricket. I can't really say much on what went wrong. Everything went wrong basically," said Harbhajan.

"We need to take the blame. We didn't apply ourselves. You can't really complain about the wickets as whatever wicket we get we have to play on it."